Third Sister

I don't know her given name, but she goes by Sanjie.  It means "third sister," because she was the third daughter born out of nine.  She is our new Ayi.

Sanjie is small and smiley.  She has a huge appetite and works like two men.  She must be in her 50s or 60s.  She is happy and bold.  The dishes weren't clean the first week, so we said, "Because the children's food is very sticky, it is necessary to scrub harder."  In this way, she understood that she needed to do a better job, but it was the children's food that was blamed, not her, so she didn't lose any face.  Honor is everything.

Now the dishes are clean, of course. 

Daniel assures me that four years from now, I will feel the same way about Sanjie that I do about Xiaofu.  I am skeptical, but I know he is probably right:)  Welcome to our home, Third Sister!!